Executive Committee members not in attendance: Sheldon Linn, Gale Malesky

Bob Brunda indicated no other paddlers came to the put in to paddle the Ledges on the Lehigh River prior to today’s Potluck Meal.

Scott Douglas called the meeting to order at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center at 7:35pm. There were 16 people that attended this meeting. Scott introduced the club’s Executive Committee.

Secretary’s Report: Both the June minutes and today’s minutes to be voted on at the October meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: Pat Beltz presented printed reports for each period – May-16, June-16, July-16, and August-16. The August 2016 LVCC Financial Report – Checking Account ending balance of $5,014.06, and Savings Account ending balance of $14,175.79. The Total of All Accounts amounts to $19,692.38. A motion to approve the treasurer’s report was made by Don Harris, and second by Jeff Wartluft.

Membership Report: Dan Rempp indicated we have 253 Dues Paying members which included 156 families. On Facebook we have 918 registered viewers, and 588 Meetup viewers.

Webmaster’s Report: Dan Rempp indicated Mike Stewart has been vetting the Facebook member requests; some are not even local (not even in the USA).

Old Business:

Beginners Series. Linda Martin gave an update indicating the trips were well attended by our beginners. By limiting the attendees the group was much easier to manage.

Scott Douglas indicated feedback has brought to light that the club may need to find a solution to include our other paddlers who are not “beginners” but are not ready or interested in the more advanced paddle trips. The intent of the beginner Series was not to exclude paddlers.

The club use to do “”Sundays on the Lehigh”. The club would need volunteers to coordinate such trips. The ACA rules state a 5 to 1 ratio is ideal for training. This would include picking the trip dates, and identify the group leader; who does not need to be the coordinator. Scott would like to see some volunteers step forward. He would like to see these persons take the “Guide Class” next April. Janet Whipple volunteered to be the trip coordinator.

Intermediate Series. Scott Douglas indicated attendance was very good. He has one more class to run this year; not sure about the likelihood of a Tohickon release.

Recreational Series. Dan Rempp indicated we had 5 people attend the May session. He confirmed that Lake Nockamixon will charge us $50 for each organized event held at their lake.

Youth Program – Adventure Day, Blue Mountain Fish & Game. Dan Rempp indicated the event was cancelled. Next spring will be the next session.

Winter Pool Practice Location. Scott Douglas indicated he heard from May G. Lafayette College has completed their construction at the pool. We need someone to determine if it is still compatible for our needs. We then need to decide which place we want to hold our sessions this year. Linda M. will get prices for the Quakertown YMCA. Mary G. will follow-up with Lafayette.

Wildlands Conservancy Meeting Location. Bob Brunda will contact the Conservancy to confirm that we are on their books for our upcoming use of their facilities for our meetings.

Larry March Slalom. This is the 40th Anniversary of the event. Dan Rempp indicated volunteers will be needed for the event dates as follows.

Friday, September 9th – 8am to 12:00 Setup Gates

Saturday, September 10th – Registration and clinic practice.

Sunday, September 11th – Race

The wire cage gabions will need to be repaired next year. Dan indicated some of the poles are no longer straight; looks like water has washed the soil out under at least one of the poles.

Walnutport (Canal) Festival. Bob Brunda indicated the event is scheduled for October 16th. 8 Canoes will be provided. Volunteers are needed. Greg Soltas is planning a kayak race on the canal. Dan is working with him on planning the guidelines:· Recreational boats· Length 10 to 12 foot· Distance from Lock Tender’s House to Spillway (approx ¼ mile)· Prize $100· Maximum 30 participants· Registration required by Saturday, October 15th

New Business:

Finger Lakes-NY, Fall Trip. September 30th through October 3rd, 2016 — Linda Martin provided details of the trip. 15 people have signed up so far. Anyone interested can contact Linda Martin for more information on the area they are staying if they wish to book a cabin or camp site to join the trip.

Spring Chesapeake Trip 2017. May 19th through 22nd, 2017. Linda Martin indicated plans are underway. It will be at a YMCA Camp on the Chester River. It has 8 bedrooms, a kitchen. A deposit of $1000 is required to secure the facility. For now Linda indicated she will front the deposit.

Club Sponsored Trips. Going forward the club will need to establish procedures for club sponsored trips. Scott D indicated no member should have to personally cover the deposit that is often required in advance; prior to finalizing who is going. The club IS NOT paying for the trip, but instead funding the deposit until the paying attendees pay their share of the required deposit. More thought is needed for how to carry this out in future years. This will require further discussion at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Tohickon Boat Launch (Lake Nockamixon). Handicap accessible launch status. Their fundraising continues for this project; the club previously donated $100 toward the cost. This follows the successful handicap launch established at Leaser Lake.

Leaser Lake/TRR Program (Team River Runner). Jim Schulte indicated TRR – Team River Runner plans to hold an adaptive paddling session at Lake Nockamixon; tentatively set for September 18th. He commended Kevin Carr with developing the adaptive equipment for the paddlers. Jim indicated we raised $1500 toward the equipment expenses.

Swiftwater Rescue Class. Scott D indicated Rich Kulick will teach a river running class. $150/ea for assistants, and $75/ea for certified. This will be planned as a spring class.

Allagash River (Maine) Canoe Trip 2017. Scott D is looking for paddlers interested in going on this next trip. See Scott for more details. It is one continuous trip; with portages and camping.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm. The next General Membership Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 6th, 2016 at the Wildlands Conservancy, Emmaus, PA.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Aderhold
Recording Secretary